Elevator



T. 1. STURTEVANT.

ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18, 15MB.

Pfltflllfbd Jan. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I 11 1/192: czar A or 2:91

UNITED STATES THOMAS J. STURTEVANT, OF-WEIlL-ESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR,-TO STURTE- PATENT OFFICE.

VANT MILL COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSA- GT-IUSETTS.

ELEVATOR Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Application filed December 18, 1918. Serial 1Y0. 267,267.

5. 0 all whom it may concern lie it known that I, THOMAS J. S'run'rn- \urrvr, a citizen of the United States, residinn at Welle'sley, county of Norfolk, and A t 4 state of lllassachusetts, have invented an improvement in Elevators, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings repre seating like parts.

The invention to behereinafter described relates to elevators for elevating fertilizers and other materials These elevators usually comprise a casing to contain a conveyer comprising an endless belt having buckets secured thereto at intervals, the belt being guided by upper and lower wheels fast on shafts journaled in bearings mounted in the casing. Certain materials elevated by these elevators, such, for example, as fertilizers, contain ingredients which have a deleterious effect on the inner walls of the casing. Therefore, it is necessary to cover said walls with a protective paint which prevents injury to the walls from such deleterious i11 gredients, and from time to time it is necessary to repaint the inner walls of the casing, in order that they may always be effectively protected. Hcretofore, the painting of the walls has been a diilicult operation, because of their inaccessibility. An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an elevator casing which is madeof sections or units, each provided with a removable wall or doorof a length substantially equal to the heieht of the section or unit to which it is applied, the construction being such that a man may readily enter each of the sections through the doors ther efor, and quickly and easily paint the inner walls thereof andperform such other o aeratioiis The upper end of the casing has a hood or portion provided with a discharge opening offset from the body of the casing, and adapted to communicate with a chute for conducting materials to the machine or point desired. As the conveyor belt travels, the buckets pass over the upper wheel and throw their contents out through said opening. These convcyer belts are driven at various speeds, and at higher speeds centrifugal force will throw the buckets outward farther as they commence their downward run than when the conveyor belt is driven at slower speeds. As a consequence, heretofore it has been necessary to provide a substantial clear ance between the buckets in their downward run and the inner edge of the discharge opening. As a consequence, it has been found in practice that considerable material will dribble back through this space down into the boot ofthe casing, and reduce the efficiency of the elevator. Another object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a plate or member projecting from the dis charge opening: toward the buckets in their downward run to catch the material and guide the same to said opening, thereby greatly reducing, if not eliminatinp, dribble of material from the buckets down into the boot. In order that this plate may closely approach the outer edges of the buckets without being engaged thereby for varying speeds of the conveyer, appropriate means is provided to enable adiustmentof the plate with respect to the buckets.

The character of certain materials elevated by the elevator is such that if allowed to stand any considerable period of time,

they become hardened, and unless removed,

will accumulate in the bottom of the boot and interfere with the travel of'theconveyer belt. As a consequence, it is necessary to frequently cleanpout the material from the bottom of the boot. 'Heretofore, this has been found to be a difficult. inconvenient oper tion. Another object of the invent on, therefore. is to rovide s mple and effective means to fac l t te cl aning of su h material from the ottom of the boot out throu' h th oor therefor.

With the afores id and othe object of the invention in view. the ch a ter of the inve tiun w ll e bes un erstoo bv re erence to the following description of one good form of elevator shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an elevator embodying the invention;

Fig. l is a face view of the inner side of the door;

Fig. 1 is a sectional detail;

Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale is a side elevation of the upper end of the elevator, a portion of the wall thereof being broken away to disclose the plate or member for deflecting materials from the buckets to the discharge opening.

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail looking toward the face of the deflecting plate or member;

Fig. 4 is a detail showing the device for securing the plate or member in different positions of adjustment; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the lower end of the boot of the elevator, a portion of the wall thereof being broken away to disclose the means for facilitating cleaning of material from the bottom of the boot.

Referring to the drawings, the elevator shown therein as one good form of the in vention, comprises a casing formed of sheet metal, and-comprising a plurality of sections or'units l varying in number according to the height of the elevator required. Each of these sections, in the present instance, comprises opposed side walls 3 connected by upper plates 5 and lowerplates 7 of sufiicient width to afford a strong connection for the side plates, and leaving openings nearly equal to the height of the section. To'strengthen the plates 5 and '7, they may be provided with angle bars 9 secured thereto adjacent the inner edges thereof.

The end openings may be normally closed by doors, each, in the'present instance, comprising a plate or panel 11 having side margins 13 adapted to overlap a frame comprising flanges'of upright angle bars 15 at opposite sides of the door opening and flanges of the angle bars 9; I To strengthen the door '1 panel 11', it may be provided with a pair of angle bar'ribs'17 extending longitudinally thereof in' spaced relation, and riveted or otherwise secured thereto. These ribs may be connected by pairof handles 19 to facilitate grasping of the door for the purpose of opening and closing the same. The upper and lower ends of the door may be provided with strips 21* adapted to project beyond thejends of the door and flanges of the angle bars 9 referred to.

The margins of theinner face of the'door may be provided with cushion strips 22 (Fig. 1 of felt or other suitable material secured in the present instance to the door .by shellac andrivets 22 (Fig. 1).

Suitable means may be'provided to pressthe-"marg'in strips 22 of'the door tightly against flanges oi the angle oars and the angle bars 9, so as to prevent escape of dust between them. To accomplish this, in the present instance, a series of latches 52 3 may be provided fulcrumed on studs mountcd on the angle bars 15 and having portions to engage the door margins 13 and press the strips against the bars 15 and fl. Thmc latches are located at suitable intervals in insure pressure on the entire length of the door.

In the present form of the invention. (:H'l) section is equipped with two such doors. and since they are similar. merely one is shown herein. It will be understood that in som cases one door may be suliicicnt for ea h section.

Each section may havangle bars at the upper and lower ends thereof. and an ba s 15 at the sides thereof, and the horizontal flanges of the angle bars of adjacent sections may be connected by suitable hulls. the construction being such that the section may o readily assembled as desired.

Preferably the sections intcrmediam tho upper and lower ends of the casing are of similar construction, and any number may be used according to the height of tho elevator required, thereby providing a desirable standardized construction.

The upper end of the casing, in the present instance of the invention, comprises. a hood including a section 529 aro ided with adischarge opening 311. 0 set somewhat from the section directly beneath the sunu. and serving to d liver materials to a chut (not shown) leading to a. machine or point to which materials are to be dcliycrod. Mounted on the section 29 are a. pair of see tions 33 adinstably connected together by bolts 35 and adjustably conncctcd to the section by bolts 37, the construction being such that the sections 32-) may be readily slid away from one another on the section :39 to facilitate access to parts contained therein. more fully hereinafter described.

In some instances it is desirable to inspect or have access to the interior of the hood without separation of the sections 33. To accomplish this, one of the sections 33 may be provided with a door 39 connected by hinges llwith said section, and provided with reinforcing angle bar ribs connected by a handle This door may he nor mally secured in closed position by suitable latches 47.

As stated, heretofore in elevators for the purposes described, considerable loss in clliciency has occurred from the dribble of materials from the buckets through the space between the discharge opening and the dew ward run of the buckets. Next ion lllii 31 preferably obliquely toward the downward run of the buckets. Suitable means may be provided to permit adjustment of said plate or member toward or from the buckets according to the speed of the conveyer. This means in the present instance comprises a rod 53 projecting through an eye formed by a reverse bend 55 of the upper end of the plate, and through elongated slots 57 in opposed walls of the section 29, the outer ends of the rod being threaded to receive suitable nuts 58. Large washers 59 at the inner faces of said walls serve to cover the slots, and small washers 60 are interposed between the nuts and the outer faces of saidwalls. The lower end portion of the plate may: rest on an angle bar 61 at the inner side of thedischarge opening 31 referred to. A spacing sleeve 62 may be mounted on the rod and confined between the large washers.

The construction is such that the nuts may be loosened to allow'adjustment of the rod andv plate with respect to the brackets and then the nuts maybe tightened to hold the rod and plate in position. The plate may be so adjusted that the buckets will barely escape hitting the same in their downward run, as will be noted in Fig. 2.

As a consequence, the plate will catch and direct material to the opening which otherwise would dribble down through the cas ing into the boot.

As stated, the character of certain materials elevated by these elevators is such thatthey will harden if allowed to stand any considerable time, and clog the bottom of the boot and interfere with the travel of the buckets on the conveyer. Next will be described means to facilitate cleaning of the material from the boot from time to time and prevent such accumulation of material. This means, in the present instance of the invention, comprises a plate 63 (Fig. 5) of an area substantially equal to the cross section of the bottom of the boot, and located immediately above the same. The ends of the plate 63 may be bent downward to pre sent feet 6!) adapted to rest on the bottom of the boot, and a portion 67 of the plate may be curved or inclined upward toward the threshold of the door opening, in the present instance, formed by the plate 7 and the angle bar 9 secured thereto.; The construction is such that the operator may readily remove the door from the boot, and then reach in with a suitable tool and scrape the material on the plate 63 outward over the curved or inclined portion of the plate out through the door without interference from the threshold of the door.

The conveyer, in the present instance, comprises a belt in the form of a sprocket chain 69 (Figs. 2 and 5) having buckets 71 secured thereto at intervals, said chain being guided by an upper sprocket wheel 73 fast on a shaft 75 journaled in bearings mounted on the casing section 29 at the juncture of the hood sections 33, the construction. being such that convenient access may be had to said shaft, wheel and the portions of the chain thereon on separation ofthe hood sections as described. The shaft 751nay have a gear 77 fast thereon meshing with a pinion 79 on a shaft 81 journaled in bearings mounted 011 the cas ing section 29, said sliaft F31 being driven from any suitable source of power.

The sprocket chain is guided at the lower end of the casing by a sprocket wheel 83 (Fig. :5) fast on a shaft 87 journaled in bearings 89 (Fig. 1) mounted on the boot and adjustable to vary the tension of the sprocket chain by a device 91 which may be similar to the adjusting device shown, described and claimed in my copending ap plication. Serial N0.'2.l8,64l7, filed February 23, 191.8.

The materials to be elevated may be delivered to the boot through a hopper It is believed that the operation of the elevator will be. readily understood without further elucidation thereof.

Having described one good form of the invention without limiting the same thereto, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. In an elevator, the combination of a casing comprising superposed sections, each having opposed sides and opposed ends, a plurality of thescctions having openings in ends thereof sufficiently large readily to ad mit a man into the sections, vertical angle bars at the sides of the openings secured to the sides of the sections, horizontal angle bars at the upper and lower ends of the sec tions secured to the sides of the sections, independent doors larger than said openings having margins overlapping outer faces of the flanges of the vertical and horizontal angle bars, manually operable securing devices mounted at intervals on the vertical angle bars for pressing the doors in dust-tight relation. with respect to the vertical and horizontal angle bars, said devices being adjustable to hold or release the doors, and an endless bucket conveyer mounted. in said casing.

2. In an elevator, the combination of an endless bucket conveyer, a casing for said conveyer comprising superposed sections secured together, and sufiieiently large to receive both runs of the conveyor, a plurality of said sections having opposed side walls provided with vertical members at edges thereof and horizontal members holding the side walls in spaced relation, said members forming elongated openings sufiiciently large readily to admit a man into said sections, doors for said openings having margins overlapping outer surfaces of said vertical and horizontal members, and securing devices distributed along margins of the doors for holding the doors in closed positions, said securing devices being adjustable to allow opening of the doors.

3. An elevator, comprising, in combination, a casing having a hood provided with a discharge opening, shafts journaled in upper and lower bearings, wheels on said II belt is driven at different speeds.

4. An elevator, comprising in combination, a casing having a boot and a hood provided with a discharge opening, a pair of shafts mounted in bearings adjacent the top and bottom of the casing, wheels on said shafts, an endless conveyer belt having buckets thereon and connected to said wheels, said boot having an opening in one side thereof substantially equal to the height of the boot, a door for said opening, means to secure the door tightly to said casing to prevent escape of dust therefrom, a cross member having its upper edge located a substantial distance beneath the lower wheel and forming a threshold at the bottom of the door opening, and a fixed curved or inclined bottom plate extending up to the level of said threshold that materials on said bottom plate may readily be scraped or removed from said plate out through said door opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

THOMAS J. STURTEVANT. 

